Debussy’s Cello Sonata in D Minor is a landmark 20th-century work combining atmospheric lyricism, rhythmic vitality and imaginative cello writing. This Henle Urtext edition is edited by Ernst-Günter Heinemann, with cello fingering and bowing by Reiner Ginzel, and uniquely provides both marked and unmarked cello parts, allowing performers to work either with practical performance guidance or directly from the Urtext.
A cornerstone of modern cello literature, Claude Debussy’s Cello Sonata in D Minor compresses an extraordinary range of colour, character and expression into three concise movements. Composed rapidly in 1915 during Debussy’s stay in Pourville, it was the first of six planned sonatas for different instrumental combinations, of which only three were completed. The sequence Prologue – Sérénade – Finale challenges the cellist with abrupt mood changes, delicate articulation, pizzicato effects, and an unusually broad tonal palette. This authoritative G. Henle Verlag Urtext edition is edited by Ernst-Günter Heinemann, with cello fingering and bowing by Reiner Ginzel, piano fingering by Klaus Schilde, and a preface by Debussy scholar François Lesure.
Key Features:
Composed by Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
Cello Sonata in D Minor
For cello and piano
Composed and first published in 1915
Henle Urtext Edition
Edited by Ernst-Günter Heinemann
Cello fingering and bowing by Reiner Ginzel.
Piano fingering by Klaus Schilde
Preface by François Lesure
Includes marked and unmarked cello parts
Catalogue No. HN 633
ISMN 979-0-2018-0633-4
40 pages in total
Henle difficulty: Level 9 – Difficult
Listed by Henle as ABRSM LRSM recommended repertoire
Musical Benefits:
Develops sophisticated control of tone colour and articulation
Refines pizzicato, bowing and rapid changes of character
Strengthens rhythmic precision and advanced ensemble playing
Encourages mature interpretation of major 20th-century cello repertoire
Debussy’s Sonata in D Minor for Cello and Piano is a compact yet richly expressive masterpiece of 20th-century chamber music. This Edition Peters Urtext, edited by Josef Schwab, presents Debussy’s three contrasting movements—Prologue, Sérénade and Finale—in a carefully prepared edition ideal for advanced study, recital and professional performance.
Debussy’s Nocturne et Scherzo is a fascinating early work for cello and piano, composed in 1882 when Debussy was nineteen. Contrasting animated Scherzo writing with a lyrical, nocturne-like central character, the piece already hints at the composer’s sensitivity to colour and atmosphere. This Faber Music edition was prepared from the surviving manuscript by Neil Heyde and first published in 1995.
Key Features:
•For cello and piano
•Composed by Claude Debussy
•Written in 1882
•Edited by Neil Heyde
•Published by Faber Music
•Catalogue No. 0571515118
•ISBN 978-0-571-51511-0
•16 pages
•Contrasts lively Scherzo writing with lyrical, cantabile expression
Debussy’s Sonata in D Minor for Cello and Piano is a landmark of early 20th-century chamber music, composed in 1915 and published by Durand. Across its three connected movements—Prologue, Sérénade and Final—Debussy explores an exceptional range of cello colours, articulations and expressive effects, creating challenging and rewarding repertoire for advanced performers.
